The projects on which we most frequently partner with public libraries tend to focus on increasing patron access to the catalog and available resources, as well as on large-scale initiatives that require many hands to complete. You know your library best: tell us about what you’d like to see and we’ll make it happen.
Our authority control processing is flexible and able to integrate with any of your existing ILS tools. An initial project establishes your authority file and ongoing processing keeps your catalog up-to-date.
This initial process cleans up your bibliographic file by making sure subfield breaks are where they should be, access points follow RDA formatting, and subdivisions are split correctly; this ensures improved authority matching. The results are a tidied bibliographic file, brand new authority file, and reports about what almost matched and what didn’t.
On average, half a million updates and additions are made to the National Authority File annually. As headings are created and evolve, an ongoing authority control process ensures that those changes are pushed to your catalog. Some ILS allow for trickle-down updates; others need to be manually adjusted on a regular basis. Backstage can assist in either instance.
Books arriving from your distributors can be rerouted to our offices for cataloging, labels, security tags, book jackets, and more.
We work with backlogs, too!
We take your publisher’s stub, brief, or full-level records and update them to the extent your library needs. This can be as little as adding a local field that includes the barcode number, price of the book, etc., or as much as creating an original record where none exists.
Spine labels, book jackets, security tags, genre labels. We’ll discuss what your specifications are and develop a processing plan to address every item that needs to be processed over the course of the project. If you already receive partial processing from your distributor, or need us to coordinate different guidelines for books arriving from multiple publishers, we have the flexibility to maintain different specifications at once. One size does not always fit all!
We work with the RFID vendor of your choice to provide efficient, unobtrusive tagging of every item in your collection. Small collections all the way up to multi-branch initiatives, our project managers have done it all.
Following best practices, we are able to tag books, kits, DVDs, and more, always taking into consideration whether metallic content that could affect RF recognition, including legacy tags. Tagging takes place while your library stays open and our workflow accounts for circulating materials, meaning there’s no interruption to daily activities.
How your project is managed depends on what’s best for your library and your collection. All projects are managed by at least one project manager, coordinating each milestone in the tagging process with a team we hire or with library staff that you select to tag materials. Project managers ensure that everyone in the library is apprised daily where teams will be working, maintaining open communication with all stakeholders until the job’s done.
Public libraries are often called on to collect and maintain local newspapers where a wealth of genealogical records and regional history can be discovered. Will you need archival microfilm or digital access files – or both?
Collation is the process of arranging newspapers before they’re imaged, which involves chronological sorting, ironing, targeting, and other preparative steps to ensure the cleanest capture possible. You can arrange to have materials sent “camera ready” – or, you can call on us to take care of that step for you.
Microfilm will last generations; digital files will promote access to all. You can pick one or the other, or both; in fact, microfilming and digitization often work hand in hand as a preservation and access solution and, at Backstage, we’ve developed workflows to go from microfilm to digital, or digital to microfilm.
Projects are the most successful when professionals come together to share their expertise. We've got the equipment and processing standards to connect with your intimate knowledge of your collections.
While there are plenty of "best practices", not every practice is going to be best for your materials. We know that better than anyone. That's why the workflow we use with your project will be tailored to fit your objectives.
Clients experience improved access to collections through expert care, meticulous organization, and a lifelong quality guarantee. Because or our wide portfolio of services, Backstage is often credited as a one-stop solution.
There's something new every month. We write about materials processing, the latest trends in the library world, news, and we introduce you our amazing staff members through interviews.
What do our projects look like? These quick-read case studies give you the overview of projects we've completed in the past. Do you recognize YOUR collection in any of these success stories?
Watch a video clip or webinar recording. Topics cover a range of subjects, presented by Backstage staff, partners, and guest speakers.
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